The puzzles range in difficulty and are scheduled to run in next week's New York Times, said Skidmore Associate Professor Michael Arnush, who is organizing the event with Skidmore sophomore Sarah Nelson.

The tournament features four rounds, Arnush said.

The first two people who correctly finish Monday's crossword will qualify for the final round, as will the first four people who successfully finish Tuesday's and first six who successfully finish Wednesday's.

"They get more difficult as they progress," Arnush said.

Those 12 finalists will attempt Thursday's puzzle, and the first to correctly solve it will receive the iPad2, which was donated by McMurry Inc.

Ten of Shortz's crossword puzzle books will be given away courtesy of St. Martin's Press.

Half of the books will go to finalists, Arnush said, while the other five will be randomly distributed among everyone who participated.

The school subscribes to the New York Times for its students, Arnush said, and the crossword puzzle's popularity prompted him and Nelson, crossword puzzle enthusiasts themselves, to begin organizing the tournament.

More than 40 people have already registered, Arnush said, and they hope to turn it into an annual event.